Coming
by JustGail
Summary: She hadn't seen him since his wedding, indeed. the wedding, had pained her a great deal, for he seemed to truly love his lovely bride, Katherine. Yet she kept a steady smile on her face for it was his wedding day, and she had never wanted anything but for him to be happy. Will is coming. Will is is coming. Like a drum, those words beat in her heart. Disclaimer: I don't own anything
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

"I forgot to tell you, Will's coming over later," Jem remarked, cutting another piece of the meat.

"He is?" acknowledged Tessa calmly. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"I received a letter from him earlier today," he explained. "He felt that we haven't sat down together for dinner for far too long. In fact, as far as he can remember – and you know how impeccable his memory is – we haven't sat down together for dinner since his wedding."

Tessa buttered her bread, inquiring, "And when will the Herondales arrive?"

"Early evening, Will wrote," Jem sighed. "But you know him. He shall arrive when it pleases him."

"What shall I tell the cook then?" Tessa took a bite of her bread. "Martha's going to need a specific time, to know how much she can cook and bake and whatnot."

"Let us assume we shall dine around seven," decided Jem. He opened his mouth, as if intending to say more, but was interrupted by the housekeeper, who offered to bring dessert.

* * *

_Will is coming._ Tessa'd always been quite proud of her heart, for it could take much in and stay stable, and yet her heartbeat had been irregular for the past few hours. There had been a reason for her avoiding the Institute all this long while, and that reason had been none other than Will.

_Will is coming._ She hadn't seen him since his wedding, indeed. It, the wedding, had pained her a great deal, for he seemed to truly love his lovely bride, Katherine. Yet she kept a steady smile on her face for it was his wedding day, and she had never wanted anything but for him to be happy.

_Will is coming._ True, she had married Jem. But she had always known that her heart would be forever split in two. And to wish Will to be forever in love with her would be cruel, for they could never be together. Especially after the cure for his _illness_ had been discovered, and Jem was married to her, and Mortmain was dead… It seemed too good to be true, and yet it was. All was well.

_Will is coming. Will is coming. Will is coming. Will is coming._ Like a drum, those words beat in her heart.

* * *

It was very nearly seven o'clock when they arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

It was very nearly seven o'clock when they arrived.

Tessa had begun to worry he wouldn't come. She wore one of her best dresses, happy she did not have to drive through this rain. But he – they – did come. They walked in nearly soaked. It reminded her of old times, though she could not remember what times they were.

After pleasantries, Will and Jem went off to one corner of the drawing room, leaving Tessa to entertain Katherine.

"Mrs. Herondale," Tessa began.

"Oh please, do call me Kat," Katherine smiled pleasantly. Tessa wished she were not so pleasant. It would make it much easier for her to dislike her.

"Kat," Tessa repeated. "We have not seen each other for a while. Have you been well?"

Katherine grinned suddenly, her eyes bright. "I am very well. More than well, in fact." She leaned closely and whispered, "I am with child."

Tessa gasped, though she did not know what the source of her surprise was. Will and Katherine were wed, and it was expected. That she could not bear a child with Jem – or had not, at least, for they had tried so hard – did not mean that Will did not deserve a child. "Congratulations! I should congratulate Will, as well," she opened, beginning to stand.

"Oh, no! I have yet to tell him. Please do not inform him yet, I would like to deliver the news myself."

"Then why have you burdened me with this information?" Tessa inquired.

"For I am planning to tell him over dinner tonight, and I did not want you to choke on your food. And because I am hoping to become friends with you," Katherine added after a thought, beaming.

She was always happy, thought Tessa, as if there was nothing wrong with the world. As if there were no pain and suffering.

"Shall we dine?" suggested Jem, and they advanced, in turn, to the dining room.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry for the time it took me to upload this next chapter. Nearly two months! But oh, the two months it's been. I've done everything from perform songs to going on dates to watching every season of Supernatural catching up just barely in time for the finale. I've done everything but write! So here is, finally, the next chapter, and I really do hope you like it.**

* * *

"I have got to admit, you're cook is excellent."

This was the first thing Tessa had heard from Will since his arrival.

"I shall deliver the compliment," she replied swiftly.

"Not nearly good as ours, though," Katherine added. "Such a talented woman, she is."

Will smiled and nodded politely, continuing to chew.

Everything felt so awkward! At least to her. And he really did seem happy, Will. She had missed his smile. Jem made a remark about the beautiful weather and did he smile. Jem never failed to make him smile. But it was Katherine who made him laugh, now.

The conversation proceeded to news of Henry and Charlotte's wonderful child, which she had not much to contribute to. She hadn't visited London is so long. Her current excuse being she was busy running the new estate, and as were the nature of excuses, they were running out. Truth was simply it hurt her to watch Will be as happy as he is with someone else. It was twisted. Demented. But it was true.

Dinner past quickly and before she knew it they were finishing dessert, a lovely lemon meringue pie that was simply exquisite. She wished she could have another piece as she would had it been simply her and Jem, yet with company it would have probably been considered impolite.

Which is exactly why Will insisted to have another piece.

"Just one more, thank you," he claimed, and as he ate he looked around and asked, "well aren't any of you going to save me from the misery of eating alone?" And so Tessa requested a piece as well, recommending that Jem and Katherine sit in the drawing room while they wait. The two obliged and Tessa was left alone with Will.

"Mmm," Will exclaimed in satisfaction. "That was extremely well prepared pie."

He eyed her as she swallowed the last bite of her last piece. "Shall we walk to the drawing room?" Tessa inquired.

"My dear Tessa, you have barely spoken a word all dinner, would you mind talking to me shortly before we go back to the drawing room? You know how I despise polite conversation, and yet Katherine thrives on it. I do not have the heart to deny it from her when I am near, but perhaps we could take a break and sit, talk. How have you been? We haven't seen each other since – well, since my wedding."

She obliged to sit, but resigned to say nothing of import. It was not his job to know her heart, but Jem's. "Well, I've been rather busy learning how to run an estate. But it is so exciting! The cooking and the cleaning and taking care of everything. I have simply been so busy!"

Will looked concerned. "Have you been reading at all?" he asked.

"Not as much as I'd like to," she admitted. "Have you?"

"Why yes, quite a lot recently," he answered. His eyes were shining as he told her about a marvelous new story he'd read, absolutely fantastic, promising to lend it to her through Jem if she were interested. She agreed to the exchange, promising that in return, when she is done reading, she will send another book with Jem so he can read it.

The clock struck nine and she jumped, realizing they had spent nearly half an hour speaking. "We never went back to the drawing room!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"I'm quite sure it is fine," Will laughed, "relax! There is no cause for alarm. Breathe."

And so Tessa relaxed and hurried with him to the drawing room. Katherine stood, flushed, apparently startled by Tessa's hasty entrance. She calmed quickly when she saw Will enter behind her merely seconds later, suggesting that it is time to leave. Will agreed and before Tessa knew it, they were departing into the rain.

* * *

**That's it for this time, but don't worry, there's plenty interesting coming on later...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Per request, longer chapter this time. I have been busy, but really there's no excuse for my update rate. **

* * *

The rain seemed to haunt her in her dreams that night, and indeed they were quite wet dreams. But they were not the arms of her dear Jem surrounding her in these fantasies.

_"Let me see that," said he, hugging her naked body from behind. "Is that a letter? From whom?"_

_"From your wife," she said, "and it is covered in blood."_

_She turned around to face Will, her love. "I have missed you," she whispered and pecked his lips. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him and –_

Thunder roared as she sat up in bed, widely and oddly awake. Haunted by thoughts of this man she did not – could not – do that sort of things with, she attempted, for the rest of the night and to no avail, to return to blissful rest, tossing and turning alike.

* * *

"Dearest, are you alright?" Jem yawned at the Tessa sitting at the window.

"A simple nightmare, Jem," Tessa dismissed. "Please, go back to sleep. I'll be alright."

Jem was not convinced. "Are you sure-"

"I'm quite sure," she interjected. "Just go to sleep, Jem."

Jem stood and walked over to Tessa. "Tessa," he whispered. "If something were wrong, you would tell me, wouldn't you?"

Her stormy gray eyes looked up to him. "Of course," she assured him. "Of course."

* * *

"I'm going with you to London today," announced Tessa over breakfast.

Jem coughed up some of his food, nearly choking on it. "What? Why?"

"I'd like to visit Charlotte and Sophie," she explained. "I'd like to visit everybody. I haven't been there in quite a while."

There was a short pause during which he gaped at her calm face. "Well then," Jem muttered. "We'll leave right away."

And that they did. Quickly enough, they were in the carriage. Jem had tried making polite conversation but Tessa was too distracted. "What?" she insisted repeating every time he had become silent; she could not bear silence. She tried engaging in the conversation, but she simply hadn't been able to. When they finally arrived, she did not wait for help to get out. She hurried out the stairs, up the steps and into the Institute, straight into the arms of a – very surprised – Sophie.

"Tessa!"

A series of greetings were exchanged, Charlotte quickly joining them and walking with them to nowhere in particular. The baby was sleeping, for now, Charlotte said, Henry watching over him. "Is that safe?" wondered Tessa quietly, after which Charlotte hurried to assure Tessa how amazing he's been lately, much more mature and responsible.

"I am glad to hear everything is going on so well! I would love to see little Mr. Branwell – the baby, not Henry –"

"Of course," interrupted a familiar voice, "first you'd have to find them."

They had passed by Katherine's room at the institute. On second thought, it must have been both of the Herondales' room, but Will was not there at the moment, evidently. "Katherine," blurted a surprised Charlotte. "But I already know where they are; I left them in the nursery."

"Of course," replied Katherine sweetly, "that's where you left them, but I have just passed by it, and neither your son, nor your husband, are anywhere to be found."

"Angel," gasped Charlotte. "Excuse me, but I must find my husband... It was so nice to see you again, Tessa."

"Likewise!" called Tessa.

"I should help her; Henry can be hard to find when he's wandered off with the baby," admitted Sophie. "You'll be alright with Katherine?" She left the question unanswered and ran after Charlotte, practically leaving a cloud of dust behind her.

"Sure," murmured Tessa. She could talk to Katherine. After all, they were practically sisters in law, thanks to the _parabatai _bond their husbands have. She should be able to stand being with Katherine for a few minutes.

"Would you like to head to the library?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Tessa shook her head, snapping back into reality. _Don't overthink this,_ she scolded herself_. Just talk to her_.

"Would you like to visit the library?" repeated Katherine. "William is there, and I would think he'd love to see you."

"Oh, yes," remarked Tessa sarcastically. Katherine, however, missed the subtle tone of her short reply and added, "I myself have never been overly fond of novels. William is constantly quoting that poetry rubbish at me, and I understand not half of it. But as long as it makes him happy, I try to not complain too much. It is his right, after all. And he does seem to enjoy reading so much. He's a decent writer, too, I've been told. I've never read anything he wrote – he's never showed me anything, though of course I've heard his awful spontaneous poems about Demon Pox and the sort. I myself prefer action to the written word –"

"What makes you believe there's no action _in_ the written word?" inquired Tessa. At the shocked expression on Katherine's face, she added quickly, "I'm sorry. That was rude. Please do continue." She did not want to upset her, for Will's sake more than her own.

"No, I'm curious," Katherine objected. "I'd like to hear about this thrill of the something you cannot experience."

"Well – words express our thoughts, our experiences. What someone writes, they can picture. And if they can picture it, shouldn't we be able to as well? All you really need is some imagination, is how I see it."

"Well put, well put," agreed a voice to her left. Only then did she realize they had stopped in front of the library door. Will had been the one speaking, of course; he was holding a book she did not recognize in his hands, in some demon language she did not recognize; she could, however, fully comprehend the little picture showing –

Never mind.

"However," Will continued, "I would also add that in real life, you can't watch someone else do any evil deed with a good conscience. I would argue that that's one of the best parts in every novel."

* * *

**Hmmm. I can't tell you where the next few chapters are going, but I can tell you that Jessa shippers are likely to enjoy it. Wessa shipperes, hold your horses; it's a necessary stage to get to all the Wessa. I promise.**

edit**: just to be clear, this will be a major theme in the next few, but not the very next chapter. Just to be clear.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This one is really short, because it's the end of Part 1. The promised Jessa appears in Part 2. Also, even though the way I cut my chapters is a little odd, I ask you to bear with me on this one, because I knew I was going to change this part of Part 1 so much I couldn't afford to keep any more of it in chapter 4. In fact, I just went and updated both chapter one and chapter four; the differences are small, but they are there. Just enough to keep the story running smoothly**.

* * *

"However," Will continued, "I would also add that in real life, you can't watch someone else do any evil deed with a good conscience. I would argue that that's one of the best parts in every novel."

"I would think that would be your favorite part," replied Tessa smoothly, recovering from the shock. "After all, you do have a liking for mischievous deeds, and the line between those and these is a fine line indeed."

"Perhaps in my youth," retorted Will quickly, "but I am a changed man! Settled down with a wife, haven't I? That should be testament enough for my new, changed ways!"

"A leopard cannot change its spots, and knowing your old ways–," she began, but we will not know what she had meant to say, for there was a quiet cough, and Tessa blinked, only to realize she had forgotten Katherine was there. She turned her gaze towards Mrs. Herondale, examining her. She seemed upset, and rightfully so. Will had not said but hello to his wife yet, and instead debated the finer points of his personality with – what was she to him? An old fascination? Old fixation? Or… an old love?

She didn't know which one hurt her more.

"Are you alright, Katherine?" in the blink of an eye, Will – changed. Something about his demeanor changed, and even though she couldn't pin-point it, she didn't think it suited him too well. He walked over to his wife and held her hand, and Tessa had the sudden urge to look away; instead, she mumbled something about suddenly remembering leaving some object behind, and turned on her heal, heading towards the drawing room, where she found Charlotte and Sophie conversing calmly.

"How did the Henry situation go?" inquired Tessa, sitting down beside her friends. They answered that it went well, thank you very much, but they had been discussing possible styles for Sophie's wedding dress, and well, that was for more important. She joined the conversation, and by the time that Will and Katherine found them again, the visit was almost at its end. She –Tessa, that is – was in fact about to stand and thank them for the company, for she had missed them dearly, but it was her time to go home, when Katherine walked in, and she lost her train of thought when she saw the smiling Will follow her in.

"I hope we're not intruding on any important conversation," worried Katherine, seeing that they had interrupted deep conversation. Tessa assured her that it was fine, and besides, she was just about to head out. "Well, somebody should escort you the door," Katherine stated.

"That isn't necessary," Tessa responded as quickly as she could, but it was too late, for Will had already volunteered to do that task. "It will give us the chance to catch up," he explained, and she, having come there for the sole purpose of talking to him after all, didn't object too strongly. And so it happened they walked together down the dimly lit halls of the Institute towards the front door in silence, and it was an awkward silence, but she could not think of a single thing to say.

As they reached the entrance hall, they both began talking at the same time.

"I had been meaning to talk to you about –" Tessa began.

While Will had been in the middle of stating, "I had been hoping to get you alone for a time now – "

Both stopping abruptly, they then both insisted that the other one begin.

"I insist," Will added, and so Tessa began speaking first.

"I have missed you," she stated. "And I was wondering if we could meet for brunch or anything of the sort."

"You missed me, did you?" he grinned. "Why is that? I would think that my astonishingly good looks play a part in your statement, but I am a changed man, and I do not think such things."

"Well, it is not because of your manners," she retorted. "And it's your turn."

"It can wait till brunch," he replied. There was a short silence, while he waited for a response, but she was still considering what that meant. "Is Sunday good?" he asked, presumably to fill in said silence. "Approximately eleven o'clock at your house?"

"Yes," she replied. "Sunday's good. I will see you then." She paused, and then added, "Tell Jem where I went to, will you? I forgot to find him just now."

He assured her he would do so, and so she boarded her carriage. "Good-bye," she wished him, and he did the same.

The last thing she saw was him grin a ridiculously wide grin, and the last thing she heard was that stupid, unnecessary remark – "See you Sunday."

* * *

**There are a lot of words in this chapter, but it still is short. And I apologize for that. I'll try to post chapter 6 (first chapter of Part 2) as quickly as I can to make up for it, but I'm moving into boarding school in less than a month, and City of Bones is about to come out. Can you believe it? Are you guys going to see it? Message me on my Tumblr (which you can find on my profile). I'd love to talk about anything.**

**Enough rambling! Reviews are gold, but follows are hundred dollar bills.**


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